Disclaimer: Mulan does not belong to me. Ling doesn't either. Disney has snatched them away! Woe!

Ling waited anxiously outside the hospital tent. If Ping died…well, he wouldn't think about that, but it would probably involve getting very depressed and possibly get him fired from the army. Which would be very, very dishonorable. But, seeing as he already fancied the boy, it would be difficult to be more dishonorable. He straightened up as the doctor appeared, leaning over to talk to Captain Shang. At the doctor's last words, he saw Shang's eyes widen and his back stiffen, before he strode into the tent. What could have happened? Ling wondered Has…has Ping died? He distracted himself from this terrible thought by watching Chi-Fu, who the doctor had just finished speaking to, run undignified-ly to the tent.

"So it's true!" Ling heard Chi-Fu cry. The advisor dragged the still wounded Ping out of the tent, to Ling's horror. The man was wounded! Have a little care! Ling felt Chien-Po start next to him. Good old Chien-Po, he's so good with the wounded, he should be a doctor, Ling thought warmly, and then the most startling thing he had ever seen happened.

Chi-Fu ripped out Ping's top-knot.

"A woman!" he cried. "Treacherous snake!" Ling went into shock. He seemed to be doing that a lot recently.

"My name is Mulan," Ping said. Wait, not 'Ping', 'Mulan'. Mulan Ling thought What a pretty name, like wind whispering through a waterfall "I did it to save my father. Please, you must believe me" Ling believed her. He knew the girl pretty well and thought of her as a very caring person. Besides, what girl was stupid enough to just randomly join the army in her fathers place? The consequences of a woman in the Chinese army had not yet struck him. At the moment, his horny male mind was still thinking Heehee! From this angle she looks topless! Heehee

"High treason!" Chi-Fu shrieked. He was furious that a woman had sneaked into the army, and apparently even more furious that Shang hadn't killed her right then and there in the hospital tent. "Ultimate dishonor!" The seriousness of the situation were starting to creep up on Ling. Woman. Army. Treason. Dishonor. No! He knew now what would happen. Shang would be forced to kill-to murder Mulan! Ling's eyes widened and his heart fell. This lovely girl, who had saved their lives, indeed, saved all of China, would be killed like she was some cow at the slaughter.

"Please, it was the only way…" Mulan leaned down even farther into the snow, a thread-bare blanket the only thing keeping her slim frame warm in the freezing mountain wind. It was quite a pitiful sight, and Ling saw Captain Shang's eyes soften. Maybe there was hope then. No, but the Captain knew the law even better than he did. A girl in the army was high treason, and treason was repaid with death. Uh-oh, Shang was heading over to Mulan's horse. Ling didn't think that was a good sign. At least he wasn't drawing-oh, wait, he drew Mulan's sword. Correction: her fathers sword. Oh dear. Mulan tilted her head down, accepting that she would have to die. She had said that she had never meant it to go this far, but how far had she meant it to go? No time to think about that, Shang was stalking towards her, sword glinting menacingly in the cold mountain light.

"No!" he, Chien-Po and Yao rushed forwards, horrified that she would be killed. While the latter two did not harbor romantic feelings towards Mulan, they were just as fond of her as Ling was-just in a different way. Chi-Fu put up an arm to stop them.

"You know the law," he smirked cruelly. They did, and watched sadly as Captain Shang raised up the sword over Mulan's pretty, sad head…and dropped it into the snow in front of her. She looked up, startled and Ling sighed, relieved.

"A life for a life, my debt is repaid." Shang whispered miserably. He swung himself onto his horse. "Move out!" Yao smiled and nudged Ling.

"See? The captain wouldn't kill her." he muttered good naturedly. "Say, isn't it odd to think of Ping as a girl? Oh gods, she saw us naked!" the thought just seemed to have crossed his mind, and he seemed to be a little mentally disturbed at the though.

"But, captain!" Chi-Fu interjected. But Shang had had enough. He grabbed the wrinkled advisor by the shirt-front.

"I said, Move Out" he growled. Slowly, Ling, Chien-Po and Yao gathered their stuff from the tiny makeshift camp they had set up and got on their horses. They were riding off when a thought struck Ling. Shang was going to leave Mulan to die! She had nothing but her pack, and that was nothing. There was only a small ration of food, and no wood. 'The captain wouldn't kill her' psh, yeah right. That was precisely what he was doing. As the troops moved out, Ling looked over his shoulder at the tiny form of Mulan, shivering in the cold. As they marched into the Imperial City, they all felt a lot more dejected than when they had started off.

Yay! I finally got another chapter done! I am very special, no? So ya, this was The Ultimate Chapter of TRUTH! I think it's a bit jumbly, with things smashed in every which way, but i rather like it. I will try to update a little quicker next time. Tell me what you think, pweez? Reviews are precious to us!